Quinn uses Epson to print festival fabrics

Quinn uses Epson to print festival fabrics

Textile and fashion designer Richard Quinn has used a newly acquired Epson SureColor to print textiles and wall coverings for a stage at the recent Port Eliot festival.

Quinn (right) being interviewed by fashion journalist Melanie Rickey

The Central St Martins’ graduate used an Epson SureColor SC-F9200 digital dye-sublimation printer in his recently opened Richard Quinn Print Studio in Peckham, London, to print around 10 different fabrics along with Mylar metallic wall coverings. He used textiles supplied by Premier Textiles.

The Wardrobe Department stage at the festival in Cornwall, which hosted interviews between young creatives and veterans of the design world, was sponsored by furniture manufacturer Parker Knoll. Its centrepiece was a sofa and armchair, designed by Quinn and supplied by John Lewis, while floor tiles were printed by Hertfordshire-based Slam Signs on Spandex non-slip vinyl, also using a SureColor.

Quinn said: “Sometimes you don’t get the true colour from the screen straight to the fabric, whereas this is much easier to colour match things. In terms of time as well, we don’t waste time doing loads of different tests, turnaround time was really quick.”

Launched at Fespa 2015, the 1.6m-wide SureColor prints at 720×1,440dpi at speeds of up to 97sqm/hr in draft mode, 56sqm/hr in production mode and 27sqm/hr in quality mode. It has two high-capacity ink supply systems. Quinn praised its ink density coverage, which he said worked well with the thicker upholstery fabrics, printed at a maximum thickness of around 0.4mm for the festival.

As part of the festival, which took place from 27 to 30 July, Quinn was interviewed on the Wardrobe Department stage by the British Fashion Council’s Sarah Mower about his print studio and collection launch at London Fashion Week later this year.

Quinn’s studio was opened in July and also contains screen printing facilities and rotary presses, along with small-format Epson digital printers, with a new SureColor S80600 currently being delivered. The “open access” studio is aimed at giving fashion designers and students a facility to source printed textiles and obtain advice.